New York: The right to keep arms in the US manifested itself in another heart-wrenching tragedy when a toddler accidentally shot dead his pregnant mother recently.
The 31-year-old Laura Ilg from Ohio was shot in the back, but managed to call the 911 emergency number, reported Independent.
A mother of two, Laura was in her second-floor bedroom and still conscious when officers from Norwalk Police Department responded to her call.
When law enforcement personnel reached the site, Laura told them that her two-year-old son had managed to get hold of a gun in the house and accidentally opened fire on her.
Laura, who was 33 weeks pregnant, was in a state of shock but recounted the tragedy to police, Cleveland 19 reported.
She was rushed to Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where doctors performed an emergency C-section. However, both the mother and her newborn baby died due to the injuries they sustained during the shooting, police chief Dave Smith said during a press conference.
An SIG Sauer micro 9 mm handgun was recovered from the house.
But how did the 2-year-old get hold of the gun?
Police said said that the several safety features were installed in the house to keep children from getting access to the gun, including baby gates and a bedroom lock.
On the day of the shooting, however, the bedroom door was unfortunately left open. The gun was on a nightstand inside, police said.
Laura told police she was doing laundry when her son came into the room while playing with the gun and shot her in the back.
The weapon belongs to Laura’s husband.
An investigation on circumstances surrounding the shooting is underway.
